Fossilised snail shells have revealed new clues about an abrupt climate shift that occurred nearly 34 million years ago.

The shift resulted in the earth switching from a warm global climate to modern variable climate shifts, with drops in ocean temperature of up to 5°C. However, gauging how this affected climate on land has been more difficult.

These newest experiments on fossilised snail shells have given clear indications of drastic changes in terrestrial environments by measuring carbon and oxygen build-ups within the shells, with evidence of temperature drops of up 10°C.

The findings are significant as they give further evidence for the link between carbon dioxide and climate, both on land and in water.